Comments: J&J’s primary businesses are devoted to medical devices and pharmaceuticals, but the company has an extremely healthy personal care business unit, too. Skin care sales rose 1.5% to $3.8 billion, due to strong sales of Aveeno, Neutrogena and Dabao. Baby care sales fell 2.4% to $2.2 billion, due to Forex woes that more than offset sales gains in Latin America and Asia. Oral care sales increased 1.5% to $1.6 billion, driven by increased sales of Listerine products, as well as new product launches.

J&J’s consumer product business has a new, high profile leader, now that Jorge Mesquita is the worldwide chairman of the unit. Mesquita, who joined J&J in December, began his career with P&G in 1984 and became group president for new business creation and innovation in 2012. As group president for global fabric care from 2007-11, he oversaw the introduction of Tide Pods.

While CEO Alan Gorsky boasts that J&J has 10 new pharma products with $1 billion potential in its pipeline, the firm has done an excellent job rolling out novel formulas in the HABA space. For example, new Listerine Mouthwash with LAE technology (Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate HCl), coats the teeth with a protective shield to stop bacteria from attaching. It restores gums to a healthier state in as little as two weeks and cuts gingival bleeding by more than 50% in just four weeks. Last year, the product debuted in the EMEA (UK, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Czech, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Spain) region and a global rollout is underway.

Last year, J&J rolled out Soft & Shiny, a three-step hair care regimen for tight curls and dry hair. The line is available in South Africa, Kenya, Angola and Zambia with Nigeria, Tanzania and Ghana are being added this year. According to J&J, the launch brought new users into the hair care category and produced a 31% category growth.

Related Top Companies Report

There were some stumbles in 2016, no one’s denying that. But if the global household and personal products industry is to get growing again, much of the gains will come from emerging markets. According to Euromonitor International, global sales…